Apparatus for desulfurizing and agglomerating pyrites-cinder, &amp;c.



PATENTED MAR. 19, 1907.

R. F. HILL. APPARATUS FOR DBSULPURIZING AND AGGLOMERAT ING PYRITES GINDER, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20. 1905.

Q INVENTOI? W/TNESSES ATTORNEYS I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROWLAND F. HILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL CHEMICAL COMPANY. OF NEW YORK. N.. Y-.. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR DESULFURIZING ANDAGGLOMERATING PY-RITES-CINDER, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Marchl19, i907,-

Application filed December 20, 1905. Serial No., 292.557.

T 0 all whont mag concern:

Be 1t knownthat LROWLAND F.' HILL, a

citizen of the United States, and aresident" of' the borough of Manhattan, city, county,

and Stateof New York, have invented oertain new and useful Improvements in Apdust-like nature have been incapable of being treated in 'the same niamier as ordinary crushed or lumpy ore. To recover 'the metal from such pulverulent materials, it has been proposed to subject them to a desulfuri'zing and yagglomerating treatment, whereby they are formed into' coherent lumps, masses, or nodules, which may'then' lie-,treated in a blast-furnace orotherwise.

'This desulfurizing and agghimerating. treatment has been carried out in an inclined rotary kiln, and in the practical working of the process serious difficulties have been encountered on account of the-tendency of the pasty or semifused mass to adhere mechanically to the lining of the kiln'or to adhere thereto by combining chemically with the-kiln-lining. w

The object of my invention is to avoid the sticking of the material -to.. the kiln-lining either mechanically or chemically and-to do this without either injuring the kiln-lining or-interrupting the operation-of the process. In the accompanying drawing I have shown in Figure 1 a longitudinal section of an apparatus suitable for the purposes of. my invention, and-in Fig. 2 a cross-section thereof'on line 22 of Fig. 1. 7

There are two rotarykilns or drums A andA, respectively, both inclined and one arranged at a higher level than the other. The kilns maybe arranged stepwise, as shown, and in the same vertical plane. Both kilns may have the same inclination, or the lower kiln-may be inclined more steeply, and the lower end of the lower. kiln may be adjusted vertically, so as to var the. inclination. Any suitable'mechanism may be employed for rotating the kilns, the means for rotating the lower kiln being preferably independent,- so that the speed of one kiln, may be varied without affecting that of the other; The

other pulverulent lower kiln.

upper kiln will as a rule be longer than the lower kiln.

The connection between the two kilns is effected in any suitable manner. I have shown a connecting-pipe B, pivoted at B and adapted to have its ends abut against the adjacent ends of the two kilns. This pipe may be provided with a valve or dam per either simply controlling'the connection fromone kiln to the other or, preferably, the valve or damper C controls an air-inlet B as shown.

The upper kiln A has, a lining D of ordinary fire-brick 'or any other suitable material; but the liningD of the lower kiln A should be b asic orat leastneutral-that is, non-acid. Such lining may be made, for instance, of chrome, magnesite, beauxite, carborundum.. or steel brick.

In operation the pyrites-cinder or other pu lverulent material is fed at the'upper end of the upper kiln A, while the fuel (as a coaldust flame) enters at the lower end of the lower kiln A. The hot gases pass through the two kilns and the connecting-pipe B, the temperature increasing as the ore or like material approaches the lower end of the Withi1 1,,t he upper kiln A the temperature should'fbe sufficient to desulfurize the ore, but nothigh'enough to melt A considerably the 'sulfid or cause the ore to sinter into lumps. .In the lower kiln A the temperature is suflicient to producesuperficial fusion of the desulfurized material. and on account .of the agitation producedby the rotation of the kiln the partly-fused material will form coherent lumps or nodules, the size of which will depend .on the inclination of the lower kiln A and also on the speed with which it is rotated.

Since I use a basic'or neutral lining'fin the lower kiln, there is no danger of a chemical combinatlon occurring between the ore and the kiln-lining. I thus prevent erosion or destruction of the lining and alsothe sticking of the fused mass to the kiln, owing to chemical reacti'ons; Still it is possible that in some cases the. fused material might adhere to the lining of the lower kiln mechanically. If this should happen, the remedy would be the application of an increased heat in the lower kiln, so as to melt the adhering mass away from the kiln-lining. Of course this increase of heat in the lower kiln should not be accompanied by any increase of heat in v the upper kiln suflicient to fuse orpartly fuse that at the lower end of the pipe, so, that up to a certain point the temperature may be increased in the lower kiln above the point of fusion without reaching this point in the upper kiln. If it should be necessary to increase the temperature beyond this point "to melt an obstruction formed by the adhesion of' fused material to the lining of the lower kiln, special means will have to be employed to prevent the increase-of heat from causing the fusion-point to be reached in the upper kiln. Thus-in the example shown the valve or damper O will be opened more or less, causing'a greater or smaller amount of air to be admitted at B and to be mixed with the.

hot gases, so as to reduce their temperature to thedesired point:. This valve or damper will be opened partly or entirely whenever the temperature is too high at the upperend of the connecting-pipe B.

i I The rotatio n of the upper kiln agitates and turns. over the materialflso' as to thoroughly desulfurize it by the action of the heated gases. As the temperature will always be so regulated as toprevent fusionof-the material in the upper kiln, a very thorough desul-= l be'obtained, ,and there will be: no danger pf obstructions forming in th e upfurization W1 -perkiln.

In the lower kiln agglomeration will take place 'under perfect control, .as the inclinetion and speed of this kiln may. be varied without affecting the desulfurizing process going on in the upper kjln.- .i'Obstructions .I IIIISI cannot be'formed by chemical interaction temporarily increasing the heat; This will not, however, necessitate any interruption of the making of repairs. I prefer to provide a lining B in the connecting-pipe B, or at least i in the lower portion thereof, such lining'being non-tacid-that'is, basic or neutral, siini-v larly to the lining D. In some cases if the suction at the opening B shouldnot be sufiicient to admit a proper amount of cool air I. Get

might employ a blower or like device to force a proper amount of air through said opening,

While my present a plication describes.

certainii'mprovements libth in the process and in the app'aratus'for the purposeindicated, the claimscover only theapparatus the process claims being contained in another application, filed June;26, 1 906 Serial- No.

I claim as myinvention-e I i i. 1.v I An apparatus for the treatmenthofi py rites-cinder andother pulverulent'material, comprising two inclined-rotary kilns the lower one of which-has'la non-acid lining, and

a connecting-pipe extending from one kiln to'i-g 7-5 theothen I I I l 2. Anappa ratus for the treatment of py- I rites-cinder and other ul'verulentmaterial, comprising two'incline rotarykilns arranged A tandernwise and a movable connecting-pipe I ..interpos ed betWeensaidkilns:

3, An apparatus for thelieatment pl pyrites-cinder and other pulverulent ,matenal, com rising two inclined rotarykilnsarrangcd tan emwise, land'a conn'ectmgspipe inter posed between said kilns and pivoted'so as .to be capable of swinging. toward. and awayfrom .the adjacent ends of'said I I In-{testimony whereot I have hereunto signed my nameiin the presence of 'two'sub-- 99 I scribing-witnesses. between the lower-kiln lining and the mate I rial, since the lining is non-acid, as above set I -r'or.th.'- Should any obstructions be formed by mechanical adhesion, they can readily be I removed without any'inj'ury to the lining by aown-Am') J nan; witne ss'esz JOHN LOTKA, JOHN A. KnnLENB oK. 

